Building Bricks for the Orphanage!

Earlier this year, I was blessed to meet a humble servant of God, His Grace Athanasius Akunda, Bishop of Kisumu and all Western Kenya during his visit to our parish. He was gracious in taking time out of his busy schedule to come and speak to our nursing students at Kean University. During his visit, we learned about some of the greatest challenges the people in his diocese face and the progress that has been made in the area of medical clinics and the growth of the church there. But one problem stood out above all the rest: the large number of children who are orphaned by losing parents to disease, or who are just discarded by parents who can no longer care for them. It’s absolutely heartbreaking. Fr. Agapios, a priest in the Kisumu Diocese, made it his mission to rescue as many of these children as he could, and with the help of a fundraising partner in the US, Saint Tabitha House was born. As I sit in the comfort of my own home, it’s hard to think about these beautiful children living in conditions we cannot even begin to imagine. But to see the smiles and hear the joyful singing of these children, it becomes evident that they are happy- just to have a safe place to sleep, food to eat, and people who care about them. The orphanage is currently housed in a small rental home. There is very little space for the many (20+ children) living there, and the cost of the rental is becoming a burden. It is Fr. Agapios’ prayer (and mine too!) that a new building can be constructed to house more of these children. By the grace of God, the land has been purchased, plans are being drawn up for the new building, and bricks are being made to start the construction. BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP! This cannot be built without donations! The overall project will cost $35k (a whole lot cheaper than building a place in the US!), but my initial fundraising goal is set at $5k. This will assure that construction can begin. Please consider helping me to fund this project. Your donation will directly and materially help children in desperate need. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40